Following the Georgian War from the Tel Aviv beaches lends a different perspective. The $ 22 million in military exports from Israel to Georgia belie a much deeper security relationship. Numerous ex-IDF generals provide military advice to the Tblisi government while Israeli hardware – especially pilotless drone aircraft- has been shipped by the plane loads.
But the link is also philosophical – both countries seem themselves as to “outposts” in hostile neighbourhoods. When a colleague of mine asked President Mikheil Saakashvili who his political heroes were, he mentioned De Gaulle, Ataturk and David Ben Gurion, Israel’s founder. An Israeli delegation recently visiting Tblisi was told by the Georgian president : “When Israel is harmed, Georgia is harmed as well,” and he later swore: “The only place in the world where I feel at home is Israel.”
Recently, the Israeli press claimed the outgoing government of Ehud Olmert had decided to halt sales of military equipment to Georgia because of objections from Russia and to give Israel leverage with Moscow in its attempts to persuade Russia not to ship arms and equipment to Iran. But these reports have been denied by the Georgian government, as well as Israeli diplomats.
With the Israel-Georgian links tight, any reader will doubtlessly ask whether Georgia will now take the role of Israel in the Second Lebanese War or that of Hezbollah? That is, will Georgian forces undermine Russia’s conventional army and air superiority with Hezbollah-style attacks, using a sophisticated blend of conventional and asymmetric tactics; or will they try to take on the much larger Russian force in a conventional attack?
To thicken the plot, the Israeli company said to be providing advice to the Tblisi government is one Defensive Shield, owned by General Gal Hirsh, the former commander of the 91st division of IDF’s Northern military command and one of the first general officers to retire before the Vinograd commission reported on Israel’s failures during the Second Lebanese War.
Whilst this is early days, it looks like Georgia has chosen to fight like the IDF rather than Hezbollah. Russian tanks were able to roll towards the capital of South Ossetia without road-side bombs etc. and the clashes have until now looked conventional – thus giving Russia the advantage.
But at the same time, Moscow also looks like it is trying to fight like the IDF, with reports that Russian fighters bombed non-military targets, including the Black Sea port of Poti. This will not help Moscow win any international PR competition (for a crude Russian attempt, see here) and may drive the Tblisi government to contemplate unconventional tactics. Perhaps time to send for Sheikh Nasrallah’s men for a few military tips on the next phase of the war…
